Multifunction Target Actuator

ABSTRACT

A multifunction target actuator allows a bullet target to be selectively presented to a shooter such that a first side may be presented, a second side opposite the first side may be presented, and the target may be oriented so as not to be presented to the shooter. The actuator allows for quick and accurate movement of the target.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/709,992, filed Aug. 19, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multifunction actuator for turning anobject, such as a target, between distinct positions. In a preferredembodiment, the present invention relates to an actuator which allows atarget to be turned 90 degrees in either direction from an initialstarting point while providing improved control of the target throughmovement and at the stopping points.

2. State of the Art

In order to maintain proficiency in the use of firearms, it is commonfor law enforcement officers and sportsmen to engage in target practice.Target practice is traditionally conducted on a shooting range in whichtargets were placed a distance away from the shooter and the shooter isrequired to shoot and hit the target.

There are a variety of reasons that law enforcement officers, militarypersonnel and the like (collectively referred to as law enforcementofficers) engage in target practice. One reason is for self defense. Forexample, a substantial percentage of the police officers who are killedeach year are killed within fifteen feet of the perpetrator. Many arekilled within five feet—often within the confines of a house or otherbuilding. Thus, law enforcement officers must be able to quickly shootand kill a person who would harm them.

Another reason that law enforcement officers must regularly engage intarget practice is to prevent the officers from accidentally injuring aninnocent party. Every year innocent third parties are killed during gunfire between law enforcement officers and criminals. By perfecting theirshooting skills, law enforcement officers can minimize the number ofaccidental casualties.

Along this same line of concern are the number of accidental shootingsthat occur each year. A law enforcement officer may accidentally shootan unarmed person based on the belief that the person is carrying aweapon. In a situation in which a weapon has been reported, a person mayaccidentally be shot because they were carrying a cellular telephone, atoy gun or some other item that is mistaken for a real weapon.

One of the best ways to avoid accidental shootings is to adequatelytrain law enforcement officers so that they are comfortable with theirown reaction times and abilities. If an officer knows that she canadequately assess a potential threat and respond in a very short amountof time, she will be less likely to fire at the first sight of ametallic object in the person's hand.

One of the most effective ways to train law enforcement officers torespond appropriately is to provide targets that may be either acriminal with a weapon, or an innocent person. After successfullycompleting numerous training scenarios, the law enforcement officers arebetter able to make a quick, accurate assessment of the risk and torespond accordingly.

One common method for training law enforcement personnel is by the useof a 180 degree turn target. The target has a first face on which animage is presented which is associated with a threat. For example, thetarget may include a photograph of a woman with a gun or a man with aknife, broken bottle, etc. The opposing side of the target is usuallyprovided with an image which is not a threat. For example, a photographof a woman carrying a baby or a man with a cellular telephone in hishand.

The target is usually held in an initial, concealed position parallelwith the line of fire. As such, the law enforcement officer cannot seeeither face of the target. The target is then actuated to expose oneside or the other. As the target turns and stops, the shooter mustdecide 1) whether the person constitutes a threat and 2) whether tofire. As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, there may betimes then the person on the target would pose threat, such as a personwho looks ready to fight, but which does not justify firing.

When the shooter is waiting, he or she does not know which face of thetarget will be exposed. Thus, while the shooter may know on a singlefaced target that it is a perpetrator or an innocent person and be ableto anticipate the appropriate response, in a two faced target theshooter can never grow familiar with the target, as either face may bepresented.

By repeating such training until there are no errors, the lawenforcement officer can be more confident in his or her ability torespond both quickly and accurately to the situation. This lowers thestress for the law enforcement officers and makes potentially dangeroussituations safer for everyone. When a potential threat appears, the lawenforcement officer knows that in a fraction of a second he or she candetermine if the person is a threat and respond appropriately.

Target actuators are used to move the target as described, to expose oneof the target faces. Existing target actuators do not allow for fast andaccurate positioning of the target, as well as repeated movement betweenthe various desired target positions (having a particular side of thetarget or a particular target presented to the shooter, not presentingthe target to the shooter).

There is a need for a target actuator which can move a targetalternatively between multiple positions, such as presenting varyingsides of a target as well as not presenting the target. Thus, there isneed for a simple and reliable target actuator which can bealternatively positioned between three or more positions so as to allowvarying sides of a target to be selectively presented to a shooter aswell as positioning the target so that it is not presented to theshooter.

Thus, there is a need for an improved actuator which enables a target tobe more precisely controlled as it moves between positions along a 180degree travel path. Such an actuator should also be relativelyinexpensive and easy to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedactuator which provides improved control over an item being turned.

The above and other objects of the invention are achieved through amultifunction actuator which allows an actuator device to beaffirmatively stopped at least three locations along a travel path. Thisis accomplished pneumatically by a first drive piston, a second drivepiston and a drive line which are connected to an actuator attachment.By selectively moving the first and second pistons, the drive line canbe moved to cause the target to stop at a first position, a secondposition, and a third position between the first and second positions.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the secondpiston is attached to the first piston, such that actuating the firstpiston moves the second piston.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, at least oneof the pistons is attached to a drive line in the form of a flexiblecable which engages a pulley to rotate the target. As the piston ismoved between a first position and a second position, the flexible cablemoves and rotates the pulley between a first actuator position and asecond actuator position.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the cableline may be affixed to the pulley to prevent sliding of the drive linewith respect to the pulley.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the drive linemay be a chain and the pulley may include a gear. Likewise, the pistonmay include teeth to engage a gear on the pulley so as to form a rackand pinion engagement. In use, the pistons are selectively actuated soas to cause rotation of the pulley, gear, shaft, etc., and therebyprovide distinct stopping points for a target connected to the pulley orgear.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a firstpiston is provided to move an arm, and the arm and the target and asecond piston are carried by the arm. Movement of the second pistonfurther moves the target.

In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the first andsecond pistons are rotary pistons, the second rotary piston is attachedto the first rotary piston, and the drive line is a shaft attached tothe second rotary piston. Accordingly, movement of the second rotarypiston turns the shaft to rotate the target, and movement of the firstrotary piston moves the second rotary piston and thereby moves thetarget.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the inventionwill become apparent from a consideration of the following detaileddescription presented in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a target attached to a target actuator inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows plan view of the actuator of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of an alternate configuration of an actuatormade in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a plan view of an alternate embodiment of an actuator anddrive line in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of an alternate embodiment of a drive line inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a plan view of yet another alternate embodiment of anactuator in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a plan view of another actuator in accordance withprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 8A shows a side view of another actuator embodiment in accordancewith aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 8B shows a cross-sectional view of a rotary piston according toaspects of the present invention and taken along line B-B of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9 shows a plan view of yet another configuration in accordance withaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows a close-up view of a bracket as may be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 shows a top view of an application of a multifunction actuatorof one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 shows a front view of an application of a multifunction actuatorof one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 shows a side view of an application of a multifunction actuatorof one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 shows a front view of still another application of amultifunction actuator of one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 shows a top view of a view of a multifunction actuator accordingto the present invention.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are exemplary of variousaspects of the present invention and do not limit the invention to anyspecific embodiment shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made to the drawings in which the various elementsof the present invention will be given numeral designations and in whichthe invention will be discussed so as to enable one skilled in the artto make and use the invention. It is to be understood that the followingdescription is only exemplary of the principles of the presentinvention, and should not be viewed as narrowing the pending claims.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a target actuator, generallyindicated at 10, made in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention. The target actuator 10 includes a housing 14 and a driveshaft 18 which is attached to a target 22.

The target actuator 10 is configured to rotate the drive shaft 18 sothat the target 22 may be disposed in three distinct positions. In afirst position, target 22 is rotated so as to be parallel with the lineof fire and so that neither face is exposed to the shooter. The targetactuator 10 may be actuated to turn the target 22 in one directionapproximately 90 degrees so that the target is in a second position toexpose a picture or image 26 as shown in FIG. 1. In the alternative, thetarget 22 can be rotated so that the target stops approximately 90degrees in the opposite direction so that the target is in a thirdposition to expose the opposing face of the target.

In discussing the present invention, including all figures discussedherein, the various target positions are described as first, second,third, etc. It is appreciated that the actuators provide multiplepositions for positioning a target, and that the positions are describedas first, second, third, etc. as is convenient for describing themovement of the actuator and corresponding movement of the drive shaft(output shaft) which is used to rotate the target. Thus, the actuatormay provide three, four, or more positions usable for positioning atarget. These positions may be spaced apart in 90 degree increments, 120degree increments, combinations of different angular increments, etc.The angular rotation, or spacing, between positions is typicallydetermined by the requirements of the target or targets being presentedto a shooter.

In describing possible uses of the target actuator, such as is shown inFIGS. 1, 12, 13, and 14, the rotational positions of the target ortargets is also described as first, second, third, etc. positions. It isappreciated that the designations of the target positions have beenchosen simply for convenience in describing the operation of the targetand actuator. Often, a position where the target is not presented to ashooter is designated as the first position, but it is appreciated thatfor many uses of the actuator, one or more targets may always bepresented to the shooter. In other situations, it may be more convenientto describe a position where a target is presented to a shooter as afirst position and a position where a target is not presented to ashooter as another position. Thus, the particular designation of whichposition is designated as the first, second, third position, etc., is ofno significance other than to distinguish from the other positions. Theinvention provides an actuator which is simple and reliable and whichallows one or more targets mounted thereon to be moved between three ormore rotational positions so as to selectively expose one or moretargets to a shooter.

Also shown in FIG. 1 are a plurality of pneumatic lines 30. Thepneumatic lines 30 are used to provide pressurized air to the targetactuator 10 to thereby enable rotation of the target 22 between thedesired positions.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a plan view of the target actuator10. Disposed within the housing 14 is a first pneumatic piston assembly40 which is attached to the housing by a mounting bracket 44. Thepneumatic piston assembly 40 includes a cylinder 48, a piston 52 whichslides within the cylinder, and a rod 56 attached to the piston andextending beyond the cylinder. As pressurized air is injected in to thecylinder through a port 60 adjacent one end of the cylinder 48, thepiston 52 is forced toward the opposing end of the cylinder, thus movingthe rod 56 outwardly. By releasing the pressure injected through port 60and injecting air through port 64 adjacent the opposing end of thecylinder 48, the piston is pushed back toward the opposing end of thecylinder and the rod 56 is withdrawn partially into the cylinder. Thus,by selectively controlling air pressure in lines 30 a and 30 b, or bythe use of valves 62, the piston 52 can be moved back and forth withinthe cylinder 48.

Attached to a distal end of the rod 56 is a second pneumatic pistonassembly 70. The second pneumatic piston assembly 70 includes a cylinder74, a piston 78 which slides within the cylinder, and a rod 82 whichextends out of the cylinder. As shown in FIG. 2, the rod 82 is attachedto the rod 56 of the first pneumatic piston assembly 40. This can beaccomplished by a removable fastener, such as a nut or collar 86,engaging threads on the rods, or by more permanent techniques, such asby welding.

Unlike the first pneumatic piston assembly 40, the second pneumaticpiston assembly 70 is not fixedly attached to the housing. Thus, whenthe first pneumatic piston assembly 40 is actuated to move the rod 56,the second pneumatic piston assembly 70 moves in like direction and tothe same degree. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the rod 56 is extended,causing the second pneumatic piston assembly 70 to be in a middleposition which, as will be explained below, may correlate with theinitial position of the target. If the rod 56 is withdrawn, the secondpneumatic piston assembly 70 will be moved to the left, while extendingthe rod 82 will move the piston cylinder 74 further to the right.

The cylinder 74 of the second pneumatic piston assembly 70 is attachedby an arm 90 to a drive line, generally indicated at 100. The drive line100 translates the linear motion of the cylinders into rotationalmovement of the target 22 (FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, a set screw 94is used to secure the arm 90 to the drive line 100 and to ensure thatmovement of the arm 90 translates into movement of the drive line.

The drive line 100 shown in FIG. 2 includes a cable 104 which is wrappedaround a pulley 108 and attached to the pulley with a set screw 110 toensure that movement of the cable creates corresponding movement of thepulley 108. The cable 104 may also be wrapped around a second pulley 112to provide a cable which forms a complete loop. A tensioning spring 116may be used to keep the cable taut, such as by pivotally mounting pulley112 to the housing 14 and using spring 116 to bias pulley 112 away frompulley 108.

The pulley 108 is connected to the drive shaft 18 which rotates thetarget. Preferably, this is accomplished by having the drive shaft 18serve as the axle about which the pulley 108 rotates. It is equallyfeasible to provide a separate drive shaft 18 and pulley axle (or geardrive, etc.), and operatively connect the two together with a coupler,etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pulley 108 is disposed in a position wherein thetarget 22 (FIG. 1) will be in its initial position where it is notexposed to the shooter. If the pneumatic line 30 b is pressurized sothat the piston 52 moves to the opposing end of the cylinder 40 in thefirst pneumatic piston assembly 40, the second pneumatic piston assembly70 is moved to the left. This causes the arm 90 to move the cable 104and turns the pulley 108 counterclockwise until the set screw 110 is inthe position shown at 110 b. As the pulley 108 rotates, the drive shaft18 rotates 90 degrees and exposes one face of the target 22 (FIG. 1).

In contrast, if the first pneumatic piston assembly 40 remains as shownand the airline 30 d is pressurized to move the piston 78 to theopposing side of cylinder 74 in the second pneumatic piston assembly 70,the cylinder 70 will move further to the right. The arm 90 which isattached to the cylinder 70 also moves to the right, rotating the pulley108 clockwise so that the set screw 110 is disposed in the positionindicated at 110 c. In this position, the opposing face of the target 22(FIG. 1) is exposed. Thus, by using the lines 30 a-30 d to selectivelymove the pistons 52 and 78, a user can affirmatively control theposition of the target at the different stopping points while using apneumatic system.

It is appreciated that the actuator shown in FIG. 2 may be used withother types of targets, such as are shown in FIGS. 12-14. The sameactuator may be used with many different types and combinations oftargets to selectively expose different target surfaces to a shooter.The designations of first, second, third positions as used herein is forconvenience only in describing the operation of the target.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown an alternate embodiment of theactuator 10 shown in FIG. 2. The housing 14 a includes a first pneumaticpiston assembly 140 with a cylinder 144, a piston (not shown) and a rod148. The rod is attached by a nose bracket 152 to a second pneumaticpiston assembly 160, which includes a piston cylinder 164, a piston (notshown) and a rod 168. The rod 168 also has a nose bracket 172 which actsas an arm and attaches the rod to the drive line 100.

As with the embodiment in FIG. 2, the drive line 100 translates thelinear motion of the cylinders into movement of the target. Thus, a setscrew 94 and housing 98 may be used to secure the nose bracket 172 tothe drive line 100 and to ensure that movement of the nose bracket 172translates into movement of the drive line.

The drive line 100 shown in FIG. 3 includes a cable 104 which is wrappedaround a pulley 108 and a set screw 110 to ensure that movement of thepulley 108 corresponds with movement of the cable 104. The cable 104 mayalso be wrapped around a second pulley 112 to provide a cable whichforms a complete loop. Of course, the cable 104 could terminate in abiasing member if desired so that a second pulley is not necessary.

As with the embodiment in FIG. 2, The pulley 108 is connected to thedrive shaft 18 which rotates the target. Preferably, this isaccomplished by having the drive shaft 18 serve as the axle about whichthe pulley 108 rotates. It is appreciated that the pulley may bereplaced with gears, a chain drive, or other drives. While the desiredmovement of the piston assemblies 140 and 160 will depend on thediameter of the pulley 108, in a currently preferred embodiment eachpiston assembly provides approximately 1.5 inches of travel uponactuation. Thus, the total movement of the cable 104 is approximately 3inches, resulting in a rotation of 180 degrees of the pulley 108, andthe same amount of rotation in the drive shaft 18. Thus, thecircumference of the pulley 108 would preferably be 6 inches, four timesthe stroke length of each piston assembly, and the stroke lengths of thepiston assemblies are preferably the same, resulting in 90 degreerotation increments of the target

With the position shown in FIG. 3, the target (FIG. 1) would be in anexposed position. By actuating either of the pneumatic piston assemblies140 or 160, the cable 104 will be moved counterclockwise 1.5 inches,resulting in a 90 degree rotation of the pulley 108 and the drive shaft18. This will return the target to the initial, concealed position whereneither face is exposed to the shooter.

Actuating the other piston assembly 140 or 160 moves the cable 104counterclockwise another 1.5 inches, rotating the pulley 108 and thedrive shaft 18 another 90 degrees and placing the target so that theopposing side is exposed.

One advantage of disposing the pneumatic piston assemblies side by sideas shown in FIG. 3 is space. When the assemblies are placed end to end,the housing may need to be relatively long to hold all of thecomponents. In FIG. 3, however, the first pneumatic piston assembly 140can be attached to the second pneumatic piston assembly 160 adjacent thedistal end (i.e. near the rod) so that the total length of theassemblies is little more than that of one individually. To further savespace, the pulleys 108 and 112 can be placed closer together.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown another embodiment of a targetactuator, generally indicated at 190, according to aspects of thepresent invention. The target actuator utilizes a first pneumatic pistonassembly 200 having a cylinder 204, piston (not shown), and a rod 208,and a second pneumatic piston assembly 212 having a cylinder 216, piston(not shown) and rod 220. The first cylinder 204 is mounted to thehousing 14 via a bracket 224. The rod 208 is attached to the cylinder216 of the second pneumatic piston assembly 212 with a bracket 228, suchthat as the rod 208 is moved in and out of the cylinder 204, the secondpiston assembly 212 is moved with the rod 208. The rod 220 of the secondpiston assembly 212 is connected to the cable 104 of drive line 100 viabracket 232. Thus, as the first and second pneumatic piston assemblies200, 212 are actuated, the cable 104 is moved in a manner as previouslydiscussed. The cable 104 extends around pulley 108 and is attached tothe pulley 108 with a bracket and set screw 110 such that movement ofthe cable 104 results in rotation of the pulley 108. The pulley 108 isoperatively connected to the shaft 18 which turns the target 22 (FIG.1). A biasing element 236, such as a spring or elastic member, is usedto apply tension to the cable 104 and thereby ensure rotation of thepulley 108 as the pneumatic assemblies 200, 212 are moved into extendedpositions. Thus, the target actuator shown in FIG. 4 functions in amanner similar to that previously discussed.

It will be appreciated, however than numerous variations of the presentinvention are possible. Turning to FIG. 5, a plan view of a drive lineaccording to the present invention is shown. The drive line 100 utilizesa first sprocket 260 and second sprocket 264 in place of pulleys anduses a chain 268 in place of a cable. The chain 268 provides a positiveengagement with sprocket 260, ensuring that the sprocket 260 is turnedas the chain 268 is moved. A bracket 272 may be used to attach the chain268 to the pneumatic assemblies as has been previously discussed. Itwill also be appreciated that hydraulic assemblies may be used in placeof pneumatic assemblies in substantially the same manner. Pressurizedair is more commonly available at shooting ranges, however, and thepneumatic operation of the target actuator is thus preferred.

Turning now to FIG. 6 a plan view of another target actuator, generallyindicated at 290, is shown according to the present invention. Thetarget actuator 290 again utilizes a first pneumatic piston assembly 300having a cylinder 304, piston (not shown) and rod 308, and a secondpneumatic piston assembly 312 having a cylinder 316, piston (not shown),and rod 320. The first cylinder 304 is attached to the housing 14 by abracket 324. It will be appreciated that in any of the embodiments, thepneumatic piston assembly could be welded, glued, or otherwise attachedto the housing. The first rod 308 is attached to a bracket 328 which isin turn attached to the second cylinder 312. The second rod 320 isattached to a bracket 332 which is attached to a toothed plate 336,which engages gear 340 (similar to a rack and pinion assembly). The gear340 is operatively connected to shaft 18 and thereby to target 22 (FIG.1).

Thus in operation, extending the first rod 308 also moves bracket 328,piston assembly 312, and toothed plate 336, thereby rotating gear 340.Extending second rod 320 moves toothed plate 336 and thereby rotatesgear 340, thereby rotating target 22 (FIG. 1). The piston assemblies300, 312 are shown in a fully extended position in FIG. 6, andsubsequent retraction of the rods 308, 320 will move the toothed plate336 to the left and rotate the gear 340 in a counterclockwise direction.Pneumatic lines and other details have been omitted from the drawingsfor clarity, but work in a similar manner to that discussed above.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a plan view of yet another embodiment of a targetactuator, generally indicated at 346, is shown. The target actuatorhousing 14 has a pivot shaft 350 mounted thereto. A first pivot plate354 is attached to a first pivot tube 358, the first pivot tube 358being configured to fit over the pivot shaft 350 and allow the firstpivot plate 354 to rotate. A first pneumatic piston assembly 362,comprising a cylinder 366, piston (not shown), and rod 370. The cylinder366 is pivotally attached to the housing 14 at pivot 374 and the end ofthe rod 370 is pivotally attached to the first pivot plate 354 at pivot378 such that when the piston assembly 362 is actuated to extend orretract the rod 370 the first pivot plate 354 pivots about pivot shaft350. The distance between pivot 378 and pivot shaft 350 and the strokelength of the first piston assembly 362 may be adjusted such that themovement of the first piston assembly causes the first pivot plate torotate back and forth by 90 degrees, or by any other desired movementrange.

A second pneumatic piston assembly 382, comprising a cylinder 386,piston (not shown), and rod 390, is disposed such that the cylinder 386is pivotally attached to the first pivot plate 354 at pivot 394, and theend of the rod 390 is pivotally attached to a second pivot plate 398 atpivot 402. The second pivot plate 398 is attached to a second pivot tube406 which fits over first pivot tube 358 and allows the second pivotplate 398 to rotate independent of the first pivot plate 354. Thus, whenthe second pneumatic cylinder 382 is actuated to extend and retract therod 390, the second pivot plate 398 rotates independent of the firstpivot plate 354.

The size of the second pivot plate 398 and the stroke length of thesecond pneumatic piston assembly 382 may be adjusted to adjust the angleof rotation of the second pivot plate. Air lines would typically be usedto attach the piston assemblies 362, 382 to an air source, but have beenomitted for clarity. Thus, in operation a bullet target 22 (FIG. 1)would be operatively connected to the second pivot tube 406 such thatthe target pivots when the tube 406 pivots.

Either of the first and second piston assemblies 362, 382 may beactuated to rotate the target 22 (FIG. 1). If both piston assemblies362, 382 and pivot plates 354, 398 are adjusted to provide 90 degreemovements, the target may then be rotated between a first positionwherein a first side (or surface or face) of the target is presented toa shooter, a second position wherein the target is not presented to theshooter (a target edge and not a face is towards the shooter), and athird position wherein a second side of the target opposite the firstside is presented to the shooter. If the pistons and mechanicalassemblies are configured so that each actuation moves the output shaft18 by the same angular amount, such as 90 or 120 degrees, extension ofeither piston would rotate the shaft by the selected angle, andextension of the remaining piston would further rotate the output shaftby the selected angle.

Alternatively, the actuator may be configured so that extension of eachof the pistons rotates the output shaft by different amounts. Thus,extension of the first piston may rotate the output shaft by 90 degreesand extension of the second piston may rotate the output shaft by nearly180 degrees. An operator could then rotate a target between a firstposition where both pistons are retracted (0 degrees rotation of thetarget), a second position where only the first piston is extended (90degrees rotation), a third position where only the second piston isextended (nearly 180 degrees rotation), and a fourth position where boththe first and second pistons are extended (nearly 270 degrees rotation).Any of the various actuator configurations disclosed herein may thusoperate by selecting the pistons and connecting linkages so as toprovide the desired rotational travel.

Referring to FIG. 8A, a side view of another multifunction actuatoraccording to the present invention is shown. The actuator, indicatedgenerally at 420, utilizes a first rotary piston 424 and a second rotarypiston 428 to thereby rotate a shaft 432 which is operatively coupled toa bullet target, such as target 22 of FIG. 1. A number of air lines 436a, 436 b are attached to the rotary pistons 424, 428 and are used toactuate the pistons.

Actuating the air line 440 a moves vane 448 and thereby moves shaft 456,rotary piston 428, and shaft 432. Similarly, actuating air line 440 bmoves vane 464 and thereby moves shaft 432. Thus, if both vanes 448, 464are to the left, the shaft 432 will be in a far left position. Movingone vane 448 or 464 will move the shaft 432 to an intermediate position,and moving both vanes 448 and 464 to the right will move shaft 432 to afar right position. The rotational valves may be designed to allow fordiffering angular movement of the vanes as is desired to providedifferent angular rotation of the targets.

Turning to FIG. 8B, a cross sectional view of a rotary piston takenalong line B-B of FIG. 8A. The rotary piston 424 has a housing 444 and avane 448 which is pivotally mounted inside of the housing such that thevane 448 can rotate between a first position 448 a and a second position448 b. The vane 448 may or may not be mounted on a pivotal axis 452, andwould typically be attached to a shaft 456 which extends from the rotarypiston 424 and transfers the rotation of the vane 448 to another object.

In operation, air is injected into the rotary piston 424 through airline 436 a and any air pressure in air line 440 a is released, forcingthe vane to rotate into position 448 a. Air pressure in air line 436 amay then be released and air pressure introduced into line 440 a, movingthe vane into position 448 b. This particular rotary piston 424 isconfigured to allow 90 degrees of rotation of the vane 448 and shaft456.

Referring back to FIG. 8A, the shaft 456 of rotary piston 424 isattached to the housing of rotary piston 428 such that when the vane 448and shaft 456 of rotary piston 424 are moved, rotary piston 428 movestherewith. As the target 22 (FIG. 1) is operatively coupled to the shaft460 and vane 464 of rotary piston 428, movement of the rotary piston 428also moves the target. Additionally, movement of vane 464 and shaft 460of rotary piston 428 also move the target 22 (FIG. 1). If both rotarypistons 424, 428 are configured to provide 90 degrees of rotation to thevane 448, 464 and shaft 456, 460, the target 22 (FIG. 1) may be rotatedthrough 180 degrees with positive stops as 0, 90, and 180 degrees. Thus,the actuator assembly of FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B may be used to present theopposite sides of a target and also to place the target so as not to bepresented to a shooter as previously discussed. The target actuator 420would be typically placed in a housing as previously discussed.

Turning now to FIG. 9, a plan view of another multifunction actuator isshown. Similar to previous embodiments, a drive shaft 18 which actuatesa target is attached to a pulley 108. Another pulley 112 is operativelyconnected to pulley 108 by a drive line 100. The drive line 100 includesa cable 104 and a bracket 474. The cable 104 is attached to pulley 108by a bolt or set screw 110 to ensure that movement of the cable 104creates corresponding movement of the pulley 108. A first pneumaticpiston 144 including a cylinder 144, piston (not shown) and rod 148 isattached to housing 14 a via bracket or another suitable mounting deviceor means. The rod 148 of first piston 140 is attached via bracket 152 tosecond pneumatic piston 160 which includes a cylinder 164, a piston (notshown), and a rod 168. Bracket 474 connects the two ends of cable 104and also attaches the cable 104 to the rod 168 of the second pneumaticpiston 160 via arm 482.

Thus, actuation of the first piston assembly 140 moves the second pistonassembly 160 and thereby moves the bracket 474 and rotates the pullet108 and shaft 18. Similarly, actuation of the second piston assembly 160rotates the shaft 18 as described. Operation is thus similar to thedevice shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 9 shows that the piston assemblies 140, 160may be moved beneath the pulleys 180, 112 so as to reduce the overallsize of housing 14 a. It will be appreciated that many configurationsare thus possible with the present invention, allowing for use in avariety of applications.

Turning now to FIG. 10, a side view of a bracket according to thepresent invention is shown. The bracket 474 is similar to that shown inFIG. 9 and used to connect the ends of cable 104. A tubular body 490 isinternally threaded so as to receive bolts 494. The bolts 494 have ahole 498 formed along the axis of the bolts 494 so as to receive theends of the cable 104. The cable ends 104 are passed through the holes498 in the bolts 494 and secured to the bolts 404. The cable 104 may besecured to the bolts 494 by welding the cable to the bolt end, or byplacing a collar 502 over the cable 104 which prevents the cable 104from pulling out of the bolt 494. A collar 502 is advantageous as itdoes not prevent the cable 104 from rotating within the bolt 494.

After attaching the cable 104 to the bolts 494, nuts 506 are threadedonto the bolts 494. The bolts 494 are then threaded into the body 490 soas to hold the cable 104 tightly around the pulleys 108, 112 as shown inFIG. 9. The nuts 506 are then tightened against the body 490 to preventthe bolts 494 from unscrewing from the body 490 and allowing the cable104 to loosen. Arm 482 is attached to the body 490, and is configuredfor attachment to the rod 168 of the second piston assembly 160.Accordingly, the arm 482 may be formed with a hole 510 for receiving therod 168. The hole may be threaded if desired.

Turning now to FIG. 11, a top view of a target actuator according to thepresent invention is shown. The actuator 10 is similar to thosepreviously described. The shaft 18 is attached to a first target 522 anda second target 526. The targets 522, 526 are shown disposedperpendicular to each other, although any angle may be used. (Whiletypically discussed in 90 degree increments, the actuator could be madeto move the target in increments of any desired angle.) Arrow 530indicates the line of fire, such as at a shooting range, such that afirst face 522 a of the first target 522 is presented to a shooter. Ifthe actuator shaft 18 is rotated 90 degrees to the left, the firsttarget 522 will not be presented to the shooter and a first face 526 aof the second target 526 will be presented. Similarly, if the shaft 18is rotated 90 degrees to the right from the position shown, the firsttarget 522 is not presented to the shooter, and the second face 526 b ofthe second target 526 is presented to the shooter.

Accordingly, the actuator 10 according to the present invention may beused to alternate between three different target faces which may bealternately presented to a shooter. The target actuator may thus be usedto present a suspicious individual who, depending on the rotation of theactuator shaft 18 and targets, may become an armed individualthreatening the shooter or who may become an innocent individual. Theactuator could thus be used to present target training in which theshooter must make quick and accurate decisions regarding the targetpresented.

Turning now to FIG. 12, a front view of another target actuatoraccording to the present invention is shown. The actuator 10 is orientedsuch that the shaft 18 is generally parallel to the ground 542. A bulletdeflector plate 546 is placed in front of the actuator 10 so as to hidethe actuator 10 from view as well as protect the actuator 10. Thedeflector 546 may be configured to resemble any item such as a car, box,dumpster, etc. A first target 550 and a second target 554 are attachedto the shaft 18 such that in one of the actuator positions, the targets550, 554 are disposed behind the bullet deflector plate 546.

In operation, the actuator shaft 18 may be rotated by 90 degrees to theright and to the left. If the shaft 18 is rotated to the left, target550 would be presented to a shooter while target 554 remains hidden. Ifthe target is rotated to the right, target 554 is presented to a shooterwhile target 550 remains hidden. Thus, either of the targets may bealternately presented to the shooter. The targets 550, 554 are made toresemble an armed assailant or an innocent person, requiring theshooter, such as a law enforcement officer, to quickly decide if thetarget presents a threat and take action. Alternately, the targets maybe made to resemble animals for hunter training. One target may resemblean animal which is legal game, while the other target may resemble ananimal which is not legal to hunt. Alternatively, both targets mayrepresent animals which may be shot and the shooter must simply see andshoot an animal target which is presented before it is retracted.

Turning now to FIG. 13, a side view of another target actuator accordingto the present invention is shown. The actuator 10 is mounted such thatthe shaft 18 is generally parallel to the ground 562. The line of fireis shown by arrow 566. A bullet deflector plate 570 is disposed in frontof the actuator 10. A first target 574 and a second target 578 areattached to the shaft 18 generally perpendicular to each other. Thedeflector plate 570 blocks the targets 574, 578 when in the positionshown. The actuator 10 may be operated so as to rotate the shaft 18counterclockwise. Thus, if the shaft 18 is rotated 90 degreescounterclockwise, the first target 574 is presented to a shooter. If theshaft is rotated 180 degrees counterclockwise from the position shown,the second target 578 is presented to a shooter. Thus, in theorientation shown, the actuator 10 may alternatively present the firsttarget 574, second target 578, or no target to a shooter.

Turning now to FIG. 14, a front view of another target actuatoraccording to the present invention is shown. The actuator 10 is disposedbehind a bullet deflector plate 586, and oriented such that the axis ofthe shaft 18 is generally parallel to the ground 590. A target 594 isattached to the shaft 18 and oriented such that the target 594 is behindthe deflector plate 586 in one of the actuator positions. The actuator10 may be operated so as to rotate the shaft 18 and target 594 by about90 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise. If the target 594 is rotatedclockwise, it is moved into position 594 a. Similarly, if the target 594is rotated counterclockwise, it is moved into position 594 b. Thus, theactuator 10 may be used to move a target from behind a deflector plateto either side of the deflector plate and into the line of fire.

It will be appreciated that many different target configurations andmethods of actuation are possible with the present invention. Using amultifunction actuator according to the present invention, it ispossible to actuate a target in many ways which challenge a shooter,including rotating a target to expose various different target faces,rotating a target so as to present different faces or not present thetarget, move target from behind obstacles, etc.

Turning now to FIG. 15, a top view of another actuator according to thepresent invention is shown. The actuator 10 is similar to that shown inFIG. 3 and operates in a similar manner. The actuator 10 includes acable 104, first pulley 108, and second pulley 112. The first pulley 108is connected to the drive shaft 18 which is used to rotate the targetswhich may be attached to the actuator 10. A first piston 602 is attachedto the housing 14, typically attaching the first piston case 606 to thehousing 14 by a bracket 610 or by a weld, bolt, etc. The first piston606 is attached to a second piston 618, typically by attaching the firstpiston rod 614 to the second piston case 622 via a bracket 626. Thesecond piston 618 is attached to a third piston 630, typically byattaching the second piston rod 634 to the third piston case 638 with abracket 642. The third piston 630 is attached to the drive train 100,typically by attaching the third piston rod 646 to the drive train 100via a bracket 650.

The drive train 100 may be a chain or gear drive as shown previously, ora cable 104 with a first pulley 108 and second pulley 112. The cable 104may be attached to the first pulley 108 with a locking mechanism 110such as a bolt or set screw.

The use of three pistons 602, 618, 630 allows for four or more targetpositions to be achieved, depending on the travel of pistons andresulting rotation of the drive shaft 18. If each of the pistons hassufficient travel to rotate the first pulley 108 and drive shaft 18 by90 degrees, the drive shaft may be in a first position with all pistonsretracted (0 degree rotation of the output shaft), a second positionwith one piston extended (90 degree rotation of the drive shaft), athird position with two pistons extended (180 degree rotation of thedrive shaft), and a fourth position with all pistons extended (270degree rotation of the drive shaft). Additionally, any piston extensionand pulley diameter may be chosen to thereby select the desired amountof resulting rotation in the drive shaft and resulting movement of thetarget or targets attached to the actuator.

If the drive train 100 uses a chain and sprockets, the sprocket used inplace of pulley 108 is affirmatively prevented from undesired rotationby the chain and sprocket teeth and may rotate through any angle withouthindrance. If a cable 104 and pulley 108 are used as shown, the cable104 may be wrapped around the pulley 108 multiple times to allow forunimpeded rotation of the pulley 108. It will be appreciated that if thecable 104 extends around only half of the pulley 108 and is attached tothe pulley 108 (as at 110), only 180 degrees of rotation is possible.Conversely, if the cable 104 is attached to the first pulley 108 and isthen wrapped completely around the pulley 108, more than a full turn ofthe pulley 108 is possible.

It will be appreciated that, in any of the various actuator designsshown, the linear actuators may be chosen according to the specificapplication. Linear actuator may be pneumatic pistons, hydraulicpistons, solenoids, etc. Pneumatic pistons are particularly suitable formany applications.

Thus there is disclosed an improved multifunction target actuator. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications which can bemade without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications.

1.-41. (canceled)
 42. A target actuator comprising: a first pistonassembly; a second piston assembly operably connected to the firstpiston assembly such that actuation of the first piston assembly pivotsthe second piston assembly; and a shaft operably connected to the secondpiston assembly, such that actuation of the second piston assemblyrotates the shaft.
 43. The target actuator of claim 42, furthercomprising a pivot plate, the first piston assembly being operablyconnected to the first pivot plate and the second piston assembly beingattached to the pivot plate.
 44. The target actuator of claim 43,wherein the second piston assembly is disposed on the first pivot plateand pivotably attached thereto.
 45. The target actuator of claim 43,wherein the first pivot plate is attached to a first pivot tube.
 46. Thetarget actuator of claim 42, further comprising a housing and whereinthe first piston assembly is pivotably attached to the housing.
 47. Thetarget actuator of claim 43, further comprising a second pivot plate andwherein the second piston assembly is operably connected to the secondpivot plate.
 48. The target actuator of claim 42, wherein the shaft is atube operably attached to a target such that rotation of the tuberotates the target.
 49. The target actuator of claim 43, whereinactuating the first piston assembly rotates the tube 90 degrees andwherein actuating the second piston assembly rotates the tube 90degrees.
 50. The target actuator of claim 42, wherein the first pistonassembly comprises a rotary piston.
 51. The target actuator of claim 50,wherein the second piston assembly comprises a rotary piston.
 52. Thetarget actuator of claim 51, wherein the second piston assembly isdisposed on top of the first piston assembly and is attached theretosuch that actuating the first piston assembly pivots the second pistonassembly.
 53. The target actuator of claim 51, wherein the second pistonassembly has a piston assembly shaft and wherein the shaft operablyconnected to the second piston assembly is attached to the pistonassembly shaft.
 54. The target actuator of claim 51, wherein the firstpiston assembly has a piston assembly shaft and wherein the secondpiston assembly is mounted on the piston assembly shaft.
 55. The targetactuator of claim 50, wherein the rotary piston comprises a vane andpneumatic lines for moving the vane between a first position and asecond position.
 56. A target actuator comprising: a first pistonassembly, a second piston assembly and a shaft, the first pistonassembly and the second piston assembly being connected to each otherand to the shaft such that actuation of one of the first piston assemblyand the second piston assembly pivots the second piston assembly andcauses the shaft to pivot
 57. The target actuator of claim 56, whereinthe first piston assembly comprises a cylinder and a rod movablerelative to the cylinder such that injecting air in the cylinder movesthe rod.
 58. The target actuator of claim 56, further comprising a firstpivot plate and wherein the first piston assembly is attached to thefirst pivot plate.
 59. The target actuator of claim 58, wherein thesecond piston assembly is attached to the pivot plate in a mannerwherein actuation of the first piston assembly pivots the second pistonassembly.
 60. The target actuator of claim 58, wherein the second pistonassembly is disposed on and pivotably attached to the first pivot plate.61. The target actuator of claim 58, wherein the first pivot plate isattached operationally between the first piston assembly and the secondpiston assembly.
 62. The target actuator of claim 56, further comprisinga pivot plate and wherein the pivot plate is positioned operationallybetween the second piston assembly and the shaft.
 63. The targetactuator of claim 56, wherein the first piston assembly is a rotarypiston.
 64. The target actuator of claim 56, wherein the second pistonassembly is a rotary piston.
 65. The target actuator of claim 56,wherein the first piston assembly comprises a first piston assemblyshaft which is operationally connected to the second piston assemblysuch that actuation of the first piston assembly rotates the firstpiston assembly shaft thereby causing the second piston assembly torotate.